Local voices passionate on transportation fixes

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Written by Ben Keller, The Business Journal

Hundreds gathered at the UC Merced center in Fresno today, both in favor and against California's proposed high-speed rail.

However, the project was only briefly mentioned during a listening session to gather input for an upcoming transportation bill in Congress.

The session, organized by Republican Reps. Jeff Denham of Fresno and John Mica of Florida, follow those that have been taking place across the country since Feb. 14 as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee prepares to draft the first long-term surface transportation bill in four years. Various panelists chimed in on what they would like to see in the bill when it is complete some time in early summer.

Outside of the hearing, a small group gathered for a rally organized by high-speed rail advocates, though not all were in support of the project. The two groups shouted at each other from behind yellow caution tape.

Granville Homes President Darius Assemi, member of the California Transportation Commission, said more needs to be promoted in the way of public-private partnerships for transportation projects, a key component in a master transportation report the commission expects to release in April.

Scott Mozier, assistant director of Public Works for the city of Fresno, believed that many valuable street projects relying on federal funds could be more streamlined by combining various phases and allocations into a single step with fewer bureaucratic hoops to jump through.

He also recommended more cost effective ways to measure impact standards instead of spending years and thousands of dollars to fulfill what he said are often trivial requirements laid out in both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Craig Denisoff, vice president of Westervelt Ecological Services, said there needs to be an increased focus on mitigation banking whereby developers will buy credits that offset ecological impacts.

Burton Gilpin, general manager of Lehigh Cement, with a subsidiary in Fresno, addressed the need for more aggregate mines to support a national population that every year consumes more than 3.5 billion tons of building stock for concrete, asphalt and other construction products.

Mica, chair of the committee, reminded the audience that the discussion was not about California's controversial high-speed rail project, although the question did come up in a press conference following the session.

"It comes down to three things," said Denham, a support of high-speed rail. "Is it on time, under budget and off of ag land."

Mica will visit five more cities in the next month for similar meetings for direction on the transportation bill. The previous multi-year law, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) expired in 2009.

http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/transportation/8489-local-voices-passionate-on-transportation-fixes